Hey Y’all! I am back from vacation! Oh my goodness.  It was so much fun.  While I was SO very happy to (1) get back into my own bed, (2) eat at Mi Cocina as soon as we got back, and (3) get our dog back from being boarded, it was very hard to get on that plane to come home.  Reid & I had traveled to the Laguna/Newport area for years before kids, and decided to do a last minute trip last summer to take them back.  We had just lost Sophie, and we needed a place to pull together as a family, relax, and just have fun with zero distractions.  We found our happy place.  And, after returning this year, we just solidified it.  Such fun at the Beucler happy place.

*The picture below is at Crystal Cove between Newport Beach and Laguna Beach.  We were waiting for our table at The Beachcomber Cafe.  If you have never been to The Beachcomber, it is awesome.  Where else can you explore on rocks in the ocean while waiting for your buzzer to go off telling you your table is ready?!?!

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So, today’s book review is a random one.  I have one book that I highly recommend, one book that I wasn’t a fan of, and one book that I can’t seem to get past the first chapter.  Here we go!

How to Walk Away by Katherine Center

I love reading about new books and other people’s thoughts on those books.  How to Walk Away kept coming up on certain book blogging sites, and comments like “Best book of the year for me” and “I won’t stop thinking about this for a long time” were thrown around from time to time.  After a few months of seeing these positive reviews, I finally grabbed it! This would definitely fall into the “Chick Lit” category, but with SO MUCH added depth. It is about a young girl named Margaret that has just graduated from graduate school and has everything going for her.  In a blink of an eye, everything changes, and she has to decide how to move forward.  I got so attached to sweet Margaret, and could not put this book down.  She is definitely a character that you want to fight for throughout the book.  And, like all of the reviews that I originally read, this book will stick with me for a long time.  I have a few that have stayed with me for years, and I think that this may be one of them.  How to Walk Away DID NOT disappoint, and it was such a quick read!  Click here to grab it!

Origin by Dan Brown

For the last several years, I either read books that fall into the Chick Lit category (remember how much I LOVED My Oxford Year!) or books that fall into the the psychological thriller/Gone Girl-esqe category.  Years ago, I read both The Da Vinci code and Angels and Demons, both by Dan Brown.  Both fictional tales written around true details of actual art, architecture, literature, and religion.  I thought both were fascinating, and really enjoyed them.  I randomly say this new Dan Brown at Target a few days before our vacation, and I grabbed it on a whim.  I am not sure if it was because it was so long (like 588 pages) or if I am just out of this genre, but I struggled with this book.  Don’t get me wrong, I still loved the factual information intertwined around the story regarding art, literature, and so on.  I am a bit of a nerd over all of that! However, the entire book was basically a debate of religion versus science.  All 588 pages.  I am a Christian and I welcome discussion by anyone that is different than me.  (Meaning I won’t break any wine glasses at your dinner table if someone brings up religion!)  But, this book was just a bit much for me.  I finished it, but I think I will steer clear from this genre moving forward.  If anyone out there has read it, message me.  I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on all of it. If you love this kind of stuff, click here to grab your copy of Origins.  It truly was a good book, just not for me.

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

Okay . . . has anyone out there read this book? I got it back in January to take on a quick weekend trip.  I tried to get into it, but turned to another book a page or two in.  It has been sitting on my desk ever since.  I try to crack it and start over every month or so, but don’t ever continue with the story.  I saw that a movie version was coming out this week, and I LOVE movies based on books! So, I took this book with me to California, and the same stinkin’ thing happened.  It could have possibly been due to Origin being so darn long and me needing a break, I don’t know.  Is this book worth it? Will I love it? Kind of needing an easy, quick read right now!  Click here to grab this book.  Maybe we can all read it together!

If you have any other recommendations for me, let me know.  I love a good book! XO